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On a day when a few of the WorldTour’s most keenly noticed Grand Tour contenders had been exhibiting their early season kind at Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Nice, it was putting that on Monday the vast majority of the biking world’s consideration was as an alternative targeted on what a handful of riders had been sporting.
Visma-Lease a Bike showcased a hitherto unreleased Giro time trial helmet, named Aerohead II, which was so radical that the Cyclingnews tech workforce spent a while debating whether or not it was an AI-generated prank. After the preliminary wave of social media consideration, although, extra particulars have emerged concerning the extremely enigmatic helmet.
“It is it is a very, superb helmet,” workforce chief Jonas Vingegaard mentioned after the end. “I feel it’s extremely, very quick.”
“We labored on it rather a lot within the final 12 months,” he added. “It is totally different, after all, however yeah, I imply, it’s extremely quick. And I feel that would be the future.”
The helmet comes within the wake of years of dramatic time trial helmet designs, with the Specialized TT5, Sweet Protection Redeemer 2Vi, and POC Tempor all drawing consideration over the previous few seasons. Nonetheless, Giro’s new Aerohead II has seen a much more dramatic reception.
The aesthetics little question have performed the largest half on this, with the tall visor marking a stark departure from any time trial helmet we’ve got seen previously.
Vingegaard was fast to dismiss the aesthetic criticism of the helmet, although.
“The factor lately, biking has been going extra, an increasing number of away from aesthetics,” Vingegaard mentioned to Cyclingnews. “So yeah, this was simply the subsequent step. And there might be one other step sooner or later as effectively.”
One benefit of the Aerohead II’s radical design is visibility, he mentioned. “The visibility is best than earlier helmets,” Vingegaard mentioned, arguing that with many time trial helmets, “You may’t actually see. However this one is like you might have the entire [field of view].”
Consolation has additionally been a bonus with Vingegaard praising it as “extra comfy than different time trial helmets that I attempted.” He added, “Different ones are pushing loads of locations on the top. And this one could be very comfy.”
In response to Giro the helmet has seen appreciable wind tunnel testing, and the title is an homage to the unique Aerohead – worn by Greg Lemond in 1986 when he gained the Tour de France by a slender margin of 8 seconds following a sensational closing time trial efficiency.
Given the in depth testing, Visma-Lease a Bike had been aware of the design effectively earlier than yesterday’s debut. “I’ve seen the helmet already in December and January. And yeah, so again then I had a little bit of amusing. However yeah, whenever you take a look at it, whenever you see how briskly it’s, then you definitely will not snicker anymore.”
Crew workers had been additionally fast to reward the brand new helmet. “It is a new mind-set concerning the aerodynamics of a helmet,” mentioned Paul Martens, the Visma-Lease a Bike tools supervisor in an interview with L’Équipe. “We actually suppose we’ve got discovered an actual enchancment in our system for time trials.”
Frédéric Grappe, efficiency director at Groupama-FDJ additionally weighed in on the brand new helmet in a dialogue with L’Équipe, highlighting the position of latest UCI rules on physique place in time trials on the design of the helmet.
“At this time, we’re in excessive positions the place we virtually put our heads in our fingers,” he mentioned. “The Visma helmet, for those who have a look at it in profile, limits the entry of air between the top and the fingers. Whereas preserving good imaginative and prescient.”
Grappe went on to focus on {that a} helmet works as a system with a rider, however that in the correct circumstances, he recommended that an aerodynamically-optimised helmet like Giro’s Aerohead II might render beneficial properties of 1 second per kilometre.
Regardless of the technological developments, Vingegaard discovered himself 22 seconds down on GC rival Juan Ayuso (UAE Crew Emirates) within the opening time trial of Tirreno-Adriatico.
“He did an excellent time trial beating, beating Ganna,” Vingegaard mentioned of his rival earlier than he addressed the problem of shedding 22 seconds on the race’s opening.
“Yeah, I imply, it is true 22 seconds, and I feel you probably did a very good time trial. And we’ll simply need to do what we are able to do within the subsequent coming days to see if we are able to take again the time.”
The helmet is due one other outing right this moment at Paris-Nice as all the Visma-Lease A Bike squad – together with Matteo Jorgenson and stage 1 winner Olav Kooij – are set to don the Aerohead II through the stage 3 workforce time trial.
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